PTSD

March 1, 2019

Jun's past has become a prison. A recent survivor of a nameless war, she traverses the streets of a Tokyo-inspired city, sleeping under a bridge, lost in a world that has forgotten and rejected her. Nightmares merge with sleepless nights, and post-traumatic stress disorder shapes her experiences. Jun soon finds herself waging her own war by stealing prescription drugs from a gang that withholds medical resources from the displaced veterans. Though her fellow vets try to help her, they also blame her for causing trouble and making an already dangerous situation worse. While questioning her own choices, Jun slowly opens up to gentle, concerned Leona, a local ramen shop owner who makes sure Jun and the other veterans are fed. At the heart of her recovery is her dog Red, a fiercely loyal Shiba Inu, who gives Jun hope in her darkest moments. French-Laotian creator Singelin creates a gritty and suffocatingly detailed atmosphere, with candy-coated coloring that ebbs into a grimy color wash. The illustrator plays with typical proportions, imbuing the chibi-style characters a cuteness that's at odds with the surrounding artwork. The overall result is discomfiting, reflecting the heroine's anxiety. VERDICT Teens interested in cutting-edge comics will appreciate this eerie tale.-Elise Martinez, Zion-Benton Public Library, IL

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2019
Grades 9-12 We're in a downtrodden, near-future Tokyo. The figures and objects that populate it are delineated in stuttery lines with nearly invisible white highlights, creating a sense that this anime-inspired world is fraying at the edges. It's quite appropriate to this tale of a combat veteran suffering from the titular affliction. Living hand-to-mouth and reliant on pills controlled by local gangs, Jun employs her skills as a former sniper and medic to survive. But it's this same past that alienates her from fellow veterans and those who seek to help. Featuring a compellingly complex queer protagonist, this atmospherically envisioned and empathetically told story is interspersed with intense battle sequences. Brutal and grisly even as they're designed to excite, they inadvertently force an uncomfortable question: How are we meant to feel about the violence that has undone so many? Its moral, however, is unassailable: to reconnect with the world, you must lend a helping hand to others but?equally important?accept one when it's offered to you. Having a scrappy dog at your side can't hurt, either.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)